Georgie Thomas

We believe in extreme vetting of our founders. You can't build a unicorn if you spend time on silly stuff, like seeing family and friends. Grow up, and focus on investor returns. #vc #startups #investment

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I'm officially launching my new business today: Early Stage Labs. We help Seed and Series A startups level up with fractional execs in finance + growth. If you need the horsepower and execution of an experienced operator but don't want to add heavy FTE burn to your runway, I'd love to see if we can support you. We have been quietly building in 2024 and are up to 11 CFOs and 5 growth folks on the team. We can't wait to roll up our sleeves and get into it. Learn more about what we're doing here: https://lnkd.in/eddDSWCn -- I was out on a walk with my wife back in 2018. I had been running a bootstrapped startup for a few years and was talking to her about a pivot we were making. She asked me what it was that I loved about the business I was building. Simple question, but I paused and had to spend a few days thinking about it. I remember coming back to her and telling her how much I love the art and the act of creating something from nothing. How it’s difficult and nuanced and sometimes even feels impossible. But how - when you get it right - man, it can feel like magic. I’ve built and sold a few businesses since then. We sold our last one to Healthline in 2021. I then jumped to the other side of the table and I’ve been the General Partner of a seed-stage venture fund since 2022. I love deals. I love getting into the hard and dirty parts of a business that can really move the needle. And I love delighting customers. I’m a scrappy, gritty founder who loves finding high impact + low burn ways to move businesses forward, and I think I’ve found that here. I think we’re really doing that for our customers. Early Stage Labs is a love letter, of sorts, to this beautiful, treacherous, wondrous world of startups that I’ve - for some strange f’ing reason - made my home over the last two decades. Here’s to the ride.

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Having a Cars and Capital event tomorrow in Southern California with Oren Klaff. If you want to join message me. https://lnkd.in/gDQ4D39u Oren Klaff Bridger Pennington #InvestorEvent #FamilyOffice #InvestmentOpportunity #CarlsbadEvent #PrivateEquity #WealthManagement #InvestmentConference #CapitalRaising #NetworkingEvent #IndustryLeaders #FinancialGrowth #InvestorsMeetup #WealthBuilding #BusinessGrowth #InvestmentForum

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I'm excited to be leading my third YC demo day fund for the S24 batch! I've been involved with YC since 2015, first going through YC myself, staying closely involved with the community for 7+ years, and culminating in working there as a Visiting Partner, where I invested in over 120 companies and helped them raise over $200M in capital. Over all this time, one thing is clear to me: YC founders are only getting better and better, and YC companies remain the cream of the crop for early stage founders. And it's not because companies come out of YC "fully baked" -- many of the best companies went through Demo Day with no revenue, or even pivoting just a few months afterwards. Yet, over 5% of this batch will likely become unicorns. This batch is appears to be the biggest one since 2021, which will make for the most interesting (and more competitive) cycle in a long time. I have opened this fund up to friends and connections who would like to join me. If you are interested in participating, click the link below for special friends-only terms! https://lnkd.in/eSKEbqQJ

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That planning season is upon us once more - almost like it’s an annual thing :) The more informed you are the more realistic the planning the cycle - especially in a new market transition cycle (here we go again!) Join Randy Wootton and Maxio break down all dimensions of growth and operations with data points across the SaaS market to build a plan rooted in market reality 🔥

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Want to compete with the big dogs? 🐕 Tony Xu, DoorDash founder, drops some 💎: 1. Don't fight on their turf You'll lose. Period. 2. Find your niche • Something they're not incentivized to do • Lower margin areas they avoid • Innovator's dilemma in action 3. Identify your advantage DoorDash's edge? Delivering outside city centers Why? That's where most people actually live 🏘️ 4. Make a calculated bet • Know your market • Understand structural differences • Predict where the market's heading 5. Move fast. Like, really fast ⚡ • As a startup, focus is your superpower • You've got one product. Period. • No complex "capital allocation" decisions 6. Embrace your startup simplicity Forget what business schools teach about CEO jobs Your mission? Build. That. One. Product. Remember: Being correct on your bet is crucial. DoorDash's suburban focus? It paid off big time. But here's the kicker: They didn't know for sure. They just moved fast and stayed focused. What's your startup's unique angle? How are you outmaneuvering the incumbents? — #VenchaVideosforFounders | Video #29 Find us at Vencha 💛 And check out my Book "The Go To Market Handbook for SaaS Leaders" 🌟

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